Muqaddas Aman [Development Blogs]

Practice 1 + 2 + Final Project (MFA Games Art & Design)

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog40:  Promotional Video and Project Finalization

And the day has finally come. After months of research, asset creation, problem-solving, and countless hours of iteration, Timeless Epoch has not only reached its final form but also received its own polished 2-minute promotional video. This milestone feels surreal. It is not just the completion of my Master’s final project—it is the culmination of a year-long transformation in both my artistic skills and my professional mindset.

Looking back to the early stages, the scope of what I set out to do was daunting: create a procedural content generation (PCG) system in Unreal Engine 5 that could produce game-ready, high-quality structures with the speed of automation yet the finesse of handcrafted artistry. Inspired by the architectural beauty of Baldur’s Gate 3, I set my benchmark at one of the most artistically respected games in the industry.

The road to this point was anything but smooth. There were times when technical challenges felt insurmountable—especially when dealing with the complexity of spline-based generation, the precision needed for asset integration, and the sheer patience required to debug the system. Add to that a hard drive failure mid-project, and the pressure of a rapidly approaching deadline, and you have a recipe for stress. But every obstacle became an opportunity to refine my process and strengthen my problem-solving skills.

The promotional video itself was a whole new challenge. Fitting the project’s scope, features, and visual impact into just two minutes was no easy task. My goal was to clearly communicate how the PCG system works, highlight the flexibility of the modular asset kit, and demonstrate that procedural tools don’t have to mean sacrificing artistic quality. The final edit manages to capture the project’s essence—showcasing both the technical innovation and the visual craftsmanship that define Timeless Epoch.

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned through this journey is the value of bridging disciplines. While my foundation in programming gave me the ability to design and troubleshoot the procedural system, my growth as an environment artist allowed me to ensure that every asset—from walls to decorative props—met a high visual standard. This unique blend of technical and creative expertise became the heart of the project.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge those who made this possible. First and foremost, Neil Gallagher, who, right from the start, suggested that I lean into procedural generation as my main focus. At the time, I didn’t fully understand the scope of his advice, but with hindsight, I see the wisdom in his words. He spotted something in me that I had yet to recognize—a skillset and mindset well-suited to tackling this ambitious combination of art and systems design.

Then there’s Eden Anthony, whose mentorship has been nothing short of transformative. His balance of constructive critique, encouragement, and practical guidance kept me pushing forward even when fatigue and self-doubt crept in. His feedback sharpened my eye for detail and reinforced my belief that this project could—and should—compete at a professional standard.

Lastly, none of this would have been possible without my parents and family. Their unwavering support, patience, and belief in me provided the stability I needed to push through the hardest moments. They may not have been directly involved in building spline systems or texturing medieval walls, but their role was just as vital.

This blog marks the conclusion of my MA Games Art and Design course at the University of Hertfordshire. But in truth, it feels more like a launch point than an ending. Timeless Epoch represents what I am capable of now, but it also hints at what’s possible in the future. I’ve proven to myself that I can merge artistry with technical precision, and that I can tackle complex, large-scale projects with persistence and focus.

The next chapter will be about refining these skills, applying them to new challenges, and continuing to bridge the gap between procedural generation and handcrafted design. For now, though, I’m going to take a moment to appreciate the fact that it’s done—and that it’s something I am proud to put my name on.

REFERENCES

External Assets

Fab (2025) Castle Floor. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/5cdcb10f-26c7-4b00-86a4-e51a0e999f25 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Clay Pot. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/8546a7d9-c529-4052-9b68-0a8e392aaaf5 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Cobble Stone Floor. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/a12fdfb6-6448-4770-912c-09891a18e248 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Desert Western Cliffs. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/9405edd1-82cb-47f8-8fb1-f2b3c3c103d1 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Grass. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/e6d0a66a-3db0-4049-a1db-a1cfe1c1073b [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Grass. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/d0e4e978-f881-4cc0-865e-faeb15ec70b9 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Gravel on Soil Material. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/51e27867-7ed9-41eb-b710-e1c88d9f9992 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Modular Building. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/e010baca-d79c-4615-9470-b025da2bbfaf [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Modular Building. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/52e83c52-735f-41c5-b234-b3830b190afb [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Modular Stone Wall. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/16754e4c-74dd-4bc7-8833-025ef47df632 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Mossy Ground Material. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/5543b024-d48e-4633-94c4-ed37b68b465a [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Mountains. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/ac548dcd-d608-4ce3-a91a-bc6ede4edbd1 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Old Wooden Bench. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/87d9cbad-f532-41e7-ae51-87f5c030d687 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Plants. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/8456d717-3c4e-4398-8bb4-95d47dcce345 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab (2025) Trees. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/c6f917b6-ffcb-4b86-9d9f-5274ba7f6a8e [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Fab.com (2025) Tundra Stones. Page restricted. [online] Available at: https://www.fab.com/listings/11a1431c-dfbd-4b92-ae8e-2a7ddf0047f3 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Sky, U.D. (2024) Ultra Dynamic Sky. [online] Available at: https://www.ultradynamicsky.com [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Other References

ArtStation (2025) Artstation Material Tutorial. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/learning/playlists/j4ndp/tutorials [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Filipp Sparak. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/filipp_spar [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Frederick Senesael. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/fredericksenesael [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Jef Simons – Baldur’s Gate 3: City Houses. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qeBo2y [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Max Bedulenko. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/mb14 [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Rishav Timilsena. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/rishavtimilsena [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Stimona Milanova. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/milva [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Tanguy Talbert – PCG Bridge: Unreal. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zx0KND [Accessed 13 August 2025].

ArtStation (2025) Thibault Ollier. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/tibz-ollier [Accessed 13 August 2025].

baldursgate3.game (n.d.) Baldur’s Gate 3. [online] Available at: https://baldursgate3.game [Accessed 13 August 2025].

bethesda.net (n.d.) DOOM Eternal. [online] Available at: https://bethesda.net/en/game/doom [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Frostpunk (2019) Frostpunk. [online] Available at: https://www.frostpunkgame.com [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Procedural Minds (n.d.) Procedural Minds – YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/@Procedural_Minds [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Steampowered.com (2019) A Plague Tale: Requiem. [online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1182900/A_Plague_Tale_Requiem [Accessed 13 August 2025].

Suntimes.it (2025) Miyazaki on AI. Page restricted. [online] Available at: https://www.suntimes.it/blog/miyazaki-ai [Accessed 13 August 2025].

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog39:  A look into the Future

I’ve never been one for sentiment. My approach to both life and work has always leaned heavily on logic—on keeping my eyes fixed on my goals, methodically moving forward step by step. But as I sit here now, it’s impossible to ignore just how profoundly this past year has changed me—not just as a professional, but as a person.

This transformation became especially clear during what turned out to be the final session of my Master’s course, conducted by Wayne Robson. I’d expected this last class to be a straightforward wrap-up, but instead, Wayne chose to focus on cinematography—a subject I had never imagined myself formally studying. And yet, as he spoke about visual storytelling, camera work, and the subtleties of framing, I was reminded of something vital: life often takes you down roads you never planned to travel. The key is not to resist them, but to be open, adapt, and make the most of the journey.

The Lesson That Will Carry Forward

One of the most resonant points Wayne made during that session was this: “You must keep working and keep improving. The moment you stagnate, you start to regress.” It’s a truth I’ve always believed in—stagnation is doom—but hearing it again, at this pivotal moment, made me look at my immediate future differently. Instead of resting after my final submission for Timeless Epoch, I’m already laying out a plan for what comes next.

Short Projects for Targeted Skill Growth

Rather than immediately diving into another massive, year-long undertaking, I plan to focus on short, two-week projects, each dedicated to honing a specific skill or mastering a new tool. This will keep me learning, iterating, and experimenting without the pressure of long-term deadlines. Some of the areas I want to explore include:

SpeedTree for advanced foliage creation.

Lighting workflows to push mood and realism further.

Sculpting and trim sheet creation for efficient detailing.

Modelling techniques for faster, cleaner asset pipelines.

By breaking down my learning into these focused sprints, I’ll not only grow faster but also have a continuous stream of work to showcase publicly—keeping my portfolio fresh and relevant.

The Long-Term Vision: The Council of Nikaea

However, there is one colossal project brewing in the background—a personal passion piece inspired by Warhammer 40k, specifically my favorite legion, the Thousand Sons. Recently, while listening to The Thousand Sons audiobook by Dan Abnett and revisiting Thibault Ollier’s “Magnus the Red at the Council of Nikaea”, I felt that old spark ignite.

The Council of Nikaea is perhaps the most defining event that first pulled me into the 40k universe—the trial of Magnus the Red, a moment heavy with political tension, betrayal, and destiny. My goal is to create a 3D reimagining of this council, not as a literal historical depiction, but as it might be remembered or interpreted centuries in the future.

A Modular Approach to a Monumental Task

This is not a project I can tackle all at once—it would be overwhelming and unrealistic. Instead, I plan to build it piece by piece, each as its own standalone mini-project within my two-week sprints:

One sprint might be dedicated to sculpting an ornate architectural column.

Another might focus entirely on a ceremonial floor texture or a trim sheet for vaulted ceilings.

Yet another could explore the design of an elaborate throne or artifact.

Over time, these individual projects will accumulate into a complete environment, all under the symbolic dome of the Council of Nikaea. Each component will be strong enough to stand on its own, but together they will form a cohesive, richly detailed scene that reflects both my technical growth and my passion for storytelling through environment art.

Looking Ahead

While Timeless Epoch marks the end of my Master’s journey, it is far from the end of my creative path. If anything, it feels like I’m just beginning to see the scope of what’s possible when discipline meets curiosity. I’ll carry forward the lessons of this year—the value of iteration, the need to adapt, and the refusal to stagnate—into every future project, big or small.

And maybe, one day, when the Council of Nikaea finally stands in full 3D glory, I’ll look back at this moment and realize that this was the real starting point.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog38:  Finalizing the Look

As the deadline draws ever closer, my focus has shifted from asset creation and PCG integration to the final polish stage—the point where every small detail can make or break the project. My target is to wrap everything up before August 12th, and I’m happy to say that the design, lighting, and post-production elements have reached a stage where they finally feel complete. Soon, Timeless Epoch will be ready for its final presentation.

The Lighting Breakthrough – Ultra Dynamic Sky

One of the most important milestones in this final phase was perfecting the lighting. For this, I turned to Ultra Dynamic Sky, an Unreal Engine 5 add-on that has quickly earned a permanent place in my toolkit. This powerful system not only generates a fully dynamic, realistic sky but also simulates natural sunlight that reacts beautifully to time-of-day adjustments.

The biggest advantage was its warm, believable lighting, which instantly elevated the mood of the scene. I supplemented this with an additional low-intensity directional light to add subtle highlights and bring out finer details in my building’s façade. After repositioning several elements and fine-tuning light angles, I found myself looking at one of the best-lit environments I’ve produced in a long time.

It’s slightly frustrating to think I didn’t use Ultra Dynamic Sky in my earlier projects—it would have saved so much time and delivered far better results. Still, the excitement of knowing I can carry it forward into future works makes up for it.

Reworking the Building’s Foreground

Another important update, which I somehow never mentioned in earlier blogs, was the redesign of the building’s front section. Inspired by both composition principles and functional clarity, I decided to slightly lower the porch area.

This adjustment had multiple benefits:

It visually separated the lush garden and vegetation from the building itself, making each element feel more distinct.

It introduced a strong rule of thirds composition to the shot, with the structure occupying roughly one-third of the frame, and the remaining space divided between the foreground garden and the distant background.

It gave the entrance more presence, drawing the viewer’s attention toward the building’s focal point without overwhelming the rest of the environment.

Iterating Through Lighting & Atmosphere

Reaching this final lighting setup wasn’t quick or easy. I tested a variety of moods and weather conditions—from heavy mist that wrapped the scene in mystery, to evening light that bathed the environment in golden tones. Each had its merits, but none struck the right balance between readability and atmosphere until this final iteration.

The chosen lighting setup now enhances the PCG-generated structure while ensuring the environment feels alive without overshadowing the main building.

The OLED Monitor Challenge

One unexpected obstacle was monitor color accuracy. My primary display is an OLED panel, which produces incredibly sharp, vibrant images. While this was great for working on details, it created a problem—what looked perfect on my monitor often appeared too dark, washed out, or overly bright on standard displays.

To address this, I went through multiple rounds of color grading and brightness adjustments, constantly checking the scene on different monitors to ensure it maintained a consistent look. In the end, this process not only improved the project’s accessibility but also gave me a deeper appreciation for the challenges of cross-device visual consistency.

Where We Stand Now

At this stage, the scene composition, lighting, and atmosphere feel locked in. The building stands proudly at the center of the villa-style environment, surrounded by carefully placed vegetation and bathed in warm, dynamic sunlight. The adjustments to the porch and composition have paid off, and the environment now works as a perfect stage for showcasing both the medieval modular asset kit and the procedural content generation system.

The last steps will be minor optimizations and preparing final renders—but more importantly, I can now say the world of Timeless Epoch finally looks the way I envisioned it from the start.

References:

Baldur’s Gate 3: baldursgate3.game. (n.d.). Baldur’s Gate 3. [online] Available at: https://baldursgate3.game.

A Plague’s Tale: Requiem: Steampowered.com. (2019). A Plague Tale: Requiem on Steam. [online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1182900/A_Plague_Tale_Requiem [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Doom Eternal: bethesda.net. (n.d.). DOOM Eternal. [online] Available at: https://bethesda.net/en/game/doom.

Frostpunk: Frostpunk. (2019). Frostpunk. [online] Available at: https://www.frostpunkgame.com [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Procedural Minds: www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Procedural Minds - YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/@Procedural_Minds.

Jef Simons: ArtStation. (2025). Baldur’s Gate 3 - City Houses, Jef Simons. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qeBo2y.

Frederick Senesael: ArtStation. (2025). Frédérick Senesael. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/fredericksenesael [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

‌Artstation Material Tutorial: ArtStation. (2025). Tutorials. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/learning/playlists/j4ndp/tutorials [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Rishav Timilsena: ArtStation. (2025). Rishav Timilsena. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/rishavtimilsena [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Max Bedulenko: ArtStation. (2025). Max Bedulenko. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/mb14 [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Tanguy Talbert: ArtStation. (2025). PCG Bridge - Unreal, Tanguy Talbert. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zx0KND [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Filipp Sparak: ArtStation. (2025). Filipp Sparak. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/filipp_spar [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Stimona Milanova: ArtStation. (2025). Stimona Milanova. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/milva [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

Suntimes.it. (2025). Page Restricted. [online] Available at: https://www.suntimes.it/blog/miyazaki-ai [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog37:  Alternate Wall Pieces

In my previous blog, I mentioned a crucial piece of feedback from Eden Anthony—that my walls lacked variation. At first glance, it might seem like a small detail, but in a project so focused on visual fidelity, even minor repetition can quickly break immersion. The problem was that all of my wall pieces relied on the same base brick material, meaning the eye could instantly spot repeating patterns across the structure. It flattened the visual interest and, worse, highlighted the procedural nature of the build.

This wasn’t a new concern. I had noticed it myself during earlier tests but chose to prioritize other tasks in the workflow—such as finalizing my PCG graph and importing all my modular assets. Now, with the core systems in place and functional, I had the breathing room to return to Substance Designer and Substance Painter to address the issue properly.

Revisiting the Brick Material

The first step was to slightly rework the brick layout and base color palette in Substance Designer. I adjusted the proportions of the bricks, introduced more irregularity in their alignment, and added small chips and damage to each brick to break up their silhouette. I also slightly flattened the brick surfaces to better catch light without becoming overly noisy in distant shots.

Once I was happy with the base form, I exported the new material to Substance Painter to start layering in secondary effects.

Introducing Wall Overlays

One of the biggest upgrades was the addition of overlay materials to better reflect the building’s age and environment:

Limestone Chalk Plaster – A medieval plaster finish that could have been applied historically to stone buildings. This overlay was recreated almost 1:1 from my Baldur’s Gate 3 references, but I incorporated subtle cracks, uneven edges, and slight discoloration to make it feel physically believable.

Moss Overlay – Designed for ground-level walls in direct contact with soil and moisture, the moss overlay added an organic, damp-weather realism to the structure. It not only brought variation but also helped visually “ground” the building in its surroundings.

Both overlays were designed as tiling materials, allowing me to blend them dynamically with the brick base to create different wall types without modeling entirely new geometry.

Material Strategy by Building Level

After some research into both in-game references and real-world architecture, I decided on a material hierarchy:

Top Floor – The highest concentration of plaster, suggesting maintenance and protection from weather exposure.

Middle Floors – A balanced mix, with some plaster worn away to reveal underlying brickwork.

Ground Floor – Minimal plaster and the heaviest wear, with moss and dirt buildup from constant contact with the ground.

For each floor type, I created three distinct variations in texture and degradation. This meant that even if two wall modules were identical in shape, their surface treatments would differ enough to avoid obvious repetition.

Solving Unreal Import Issues

When I brought these new materials into Unreal Engine 5, I encountered some unexpected artifacting, particularly in how the overlays interacted with the normal maps. It took a bit of troubleshooting—tweaking roughness maps, checking UV scaling, and adjusting blend modes—but I eventually solved it without having to redo the core materials.

Final Integration into the PCG System

Once the materials were functioning properly, I integrated them into my PCG data asset dictionary, mapping the appropriate variations to the respective wall pieces for each floor type. The difference was immediate—gone was the monotonous uniformity, replaced by a more believable, lived-in look. The subtle changes in plaster coverage, moss buildup, and brick tone made the building feel far more grounded in its environment.

This update also means that any future structures generated by the PCG system will automatically benefit from this variation, without me needing to manually assign materials each time. It’s a small but significant step toward ensuring Timeless Epoch feels handcrafted even within its procedural framework.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog36:  Initial Design

After several weeks of back-and-forth in my head about how the final scene should be presented, I’ve finally committed to a direction. The question that kept lingering was: What should the setting be? Should I attempt a full city environment, or keep the focus tightly on the building itself? Given the current scope, my available time, and the project’s core purpose, the answer became clear—I would center everything around the building.

From the beginning, the purpose of Timeless Epoch has been to explore and demonstrate the capabilities of my procedural content generation system alongside a medieval modular asset kit built specifically for that system. Environmental props and set dressing were never intended to be the stars of the show; they are supporting actors, meant to enhance the presentation without drawing the audience’s gaze away from the main subject.

Looking back at my primary reference—Oscar’s House from Baldur’s Gate 3—it became even clearer. In the game, the house commands all the visual attention, with everything else, from the lighting to the surrounding layout, serving to frame and accentuate its details. That became my guiding principle.

Shifting from a City to a Villa

Originally, I had considered building a small section of a city as the backdrop. But after analyzing the game’s level design more closely, I decided on something more intimate—a villa-like setting. In BG3, Oscar’s House is tucked into a corner of the city, perched against cliffs and surrounded by lush greenery. This natural framing not only isolates the building visually but also makes it feel special, like a private world within the larger game map.

Inspired by that, I decided to create an enclosed space where my building would sit proudly in the center, surrounded by gardens, vegetation, and perimeter walls. The layout would keep the viewer’s attention locked on the building’s architecture while still feeling grounded in a believable environment.

On Using Megascan Assets

For the foliage, surrounding walls, and other environmental elements, I turned to Megascan assets. This wasn’t out of laziness—rather, it was a strategic decision. Creating my own foliage and extra props would have been possible, but doing so would have eaten heavily into the time needed for my core deliverables: the PCG system and modular asset kit. My priority is to refine those systems to a high standard, and outsourcing decorative elements to pre-made, industry-grade assets lets me focus on that.

That said, these props won’t take the spotlight. They’re there to cast shadows, fill space, and create a sense of depth—often partially hidden or pushed into the darker areas of the composition.

Peer and Instructor Feedback

With the initial blockout of my final scene complete, I’ve already received valuable feedback from both peers and instructors. Eden Anthony, our instructor, noted that the walls lack variation—something I’d been aware of but hadn’t fully realized the impact of until it was pointed out. It’s a subtle weakness, but one that, when noticed, does affect the overall richness of the scene.

A particularly exciting suggestion came from Anna Christina, a fellow environment artist in our course known for her expertise in lush, green landscapes. She proposed adding additional buildings in the background, generated using my PCG system. This idea immediately clicked for me—not only would it add depth and complexity to the scene, but it would also serve as a subtle showcase of the system’s flexibility, demonstrating that it can create more than just a single, predefined structure.

Where This Leaves the Project

With the scene layout decided, the focus now shifts to refinement—tweaking asset placement, balancing light and shadow, and ensuring every prop serves the composition’s goal: to make the building, and by extension the PCG system, the hero of the piece.

This stage feels particularly exciting because, for the first time, I can visualize the final deliverable taking shape—not as a series of disconnected technical achievements, but as a cohesive, living environment. The villa framing will give the structure the breathing space it deserves while still allowing me to sneak in subtle demonstrations of the system’s adaptability in the background.

In the coming days, my attention will be split between finalizing the wall variations Eden mentioned and experimenting with Anna’s background-building suggestion. If done right, this scene could balance artistry, technical innovation, and presentation in a way that truly encapsulates what Timeless Epoch set out to achieve.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog35:  Doing some Landscaping

After the breakthroughs with corners and floor isolation in the PCG system, I decided to shift focus to something equally important, but far more tangible—the front door prop. In many ways, the front entrance is more than just an architectural detail; it’s the first impression of a building, the point that invites a viewer (or player) into the space.

Once again, my inspiration came directly from Oscar’s House in Baldur’s Gate 3. The front entrance of that building has always stood out to me—grand yet welcoming, ornate yet balanced. I knew I wanted to capture that same sense of craftsmanship and presence in Timeless Epoch, but through my own interpretation.

Building the Framework

I began by blocking out the ornamental decoration at the top, opting to handcraft the intricate patterns using curves in Blender. This approach allowed for a more organic flow in the shapes, something that’s harder to achieve through purely polygonal modeling. Once the decorative framework was established, I moved on to the main door structure, layering in details one element at a time.

The outer structure proved especially challenging. Between the architectural crown above the door and the pillar work flanking each side, I had to tap into almost every skill I’ve developed so far—precision modeling, proportion control, and the delicate balancing act between complexity and readability.

Texturing with New Materials

With the modeling phase complete, I exported the door to Substance Painter for texturing. Here, I created a new cement overlay material specifically for the side pillars. This material had a subtle but distinctive surface quality, and I couldn’t help but notice how versatile it could be—it could easily double as a chalky or limestone overlay for walls in future assets.

Integration into the PCG System

Once textured, the door was brought into Unreal Engine and integrated into the PCG system using trigger boxes. Unlike previous insertions (such as the large window), this one required far more precision and complexity. Instead of deleting a single spline point, I had to remove four points in a square formation to create the necessary space for the doorway.

The challenge was compounded by the fact that my current PCG blueprint now runs three separate graphs for wall generation. This meant I had to repeat the intersection and differentiation logic for each graph, and also ensure that they properly intersected with their respective points when generating double walls. It was a delicate operation, but ultimately, the door slotted into place successfully.

Experimenting with Landscaping

With the door in place, I decided to take a detour into landscaping—attempting to recreate not only Oscar’s House but also its surrounding environment. After several hours of terrain sculpting, material painting, and reference comparisons, I had to admit the truth: my recreation didn’t quite capture the same feel as the original.

This was an important realization. While I admire and reference Baldur’s Gate 3, I don’t want Timeless Epoch to be a carbon copy. The failure to perfectly match the original environment has given me the push to rethink my landscape design entirely, perhaps shifting toward something more original and thematically distinct.

The front door now stands proudly in the build—both as a technical achievement in PCG integration and as a visual focal point that gives the structure personality. The next step will be to carry that same balance of function and beauty into the rest of the project’s finishing touches.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog34:  Eureka (It Finally Clicked)

It’s difficult to put into words just how surreal this moment feels. After months of poking, prodding, experimenting, and endlessly troubleshooting, I’ve finally reached a point where the PCG system and I are speaking the same language. What was once a wall of impenetrable logic has started to make sense—and for the first time, I feel like I have control over it.

This breakthrough didn’t happen overnight. It came after two full days of deep, focused work—jumping between YouTube tutorials, combing through Unreal Engine’s official documentation, participating in Discord forums, and conducting my own trial-and-error experiments. My goal was simple, yet elusive: learn how to isolate corners, control floors, and handle other crucial processes in a way that would give me full creative command over the system.

The Corners – My Old Nemesis

Let’s start with the problem that’s haunted me since the early days: corner isolation. For the longest time, I assumed there was some elegant hidden function that would magically do the job. As it turns out… it was mostly brute force. The solution involved detecting spline point face angles and dividing them into four directional categories: North, South, East, and West—each separated by 90 degrees.

Once grouped, I applied a combination of intersection and merge logic to isolate all corners in the structure. From there, differentiating them from the “actual” corner spline points gave me a way to detect internal corners specifically. And just like that—months of frustration evaporated. Now, I can confidently assign dedicated corner pieces exactly where they need to go.

Floor Isolation – Precision Control

The second big win was gaining control over individual floors. This hinged on understanding a single variable: Wall Height—the very parameter used to create vertical spline points. By multiplying the wall height by the number of floors (minus one, to exclude the ground floor), I could target points at a specific elevation. This meant I could finally isolate the ground floor with pinpoint accuracy.

Naturally, I seized the opportunity to create custom ground floor wall props, giving the base of the building more visual weight and character. I even added a new variable to the data asset dedicated specifically to ground floor assets, making it incredibly simple to swap them in and out.

The Railings – A Beautiful Problem

Finally, there were the railings—arguably the most distinctive element in the kit aside from the large window. Their elegance came with a catch: when procedurally generated, the railing segments overlapped awkwardly at corners. This was similar to the Mansard roof tile problem, where tiling geometry didn’t play nicely at angled joins.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a non-destructive fix that wouldn’t compromise the original railing asset. So instead, I decided to model a dedicated railing corner piece to neatly cover the overlap. It’s a practical, visually pleasing solution that keeps the integrity of the railing design intact.

A Turning Point This might sound like just another technical milestone, but to me, it’s much more. It’s a signal that I’ve crossed a major threshold in understanding how this system works. For months, PCG felt like a wild animal—unpredictable, temperamental, and difficult to guide. Now, it’s finally starting to feel like a partner I can collaborate with, bending to design decisions rather than dictating them.

Today, Timeless Epoch feels more alive than ever, and I can say with certainty: the hardest part of the PCG logic is no longer ahead of me—it’s behind me.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog33:  Setting up the PCG and First Tests

After what feels like an eternity, I have finally reached a point in the Timeless Epoch journey where I can actually stand back and see the fruits of my efforts materializing on screen. This moment didn’t come overnight—it’s the culmination of months of trial, error, and sheer persistence.

Reaching this stage has taken far longer than I initially expected. The first major block of time went into the creation of the PCG system itself—building the foundation in Unreal Engine 5, setting up the initial procedural structures, and wrestling with the many quirks and bugs that inevitably surfaced. Each issue demanded hours, sometimes days, of focused problem-solving.

Parallel to that, an equally significant portion of the timeline was consumed by the creation of the medieval modular asset kit. This wasn’t just a matter of modelling and texturing assets—it required in-depth research to ensure the designs aligned with my visual benchmark (Baldur’s Gate 3), as well as a deep integration process to ensure that every single piece could work seamlessly with the PCG system.

And then came the final hurdle before this milestone: importing everything into Unreal 5. On paper, that step sounds simple enough, but anyone who has moved assets from Blender into Unreal will know the headaches involved—shading inconsistencies, materials not behaving as expected, and small but time-consuming alignment issues. Each asset had to be checked, adjusted, and tested. Only after all that could the real moment happen.

And it has happened. For the first time, I can behold Timeless Epoch rendered in full—PCG-driven, fully modular, and assembled instantly. The building is constructed using two types of wall pieces:

Regular Walls – Plain designs forming the bulk of the structure.

Detailed Walls – Pieces with additional elements like windows or banners for visual interest.

This combination allows for contrasting floors that can be distinguished at a glance. The setup is controlled by two variables in the PCG graph—“Detailed Floor” and “Detailed Floor Offset”—which dictate both the repeating cycle of detailed floors and the offset for where they appear. The intention is to create a distinctive top floor and, ideally, a unique ground floor, while keeping the central floors uniform for visual balance.

Corner pillars are handled as separate assets, changeable directly in the data asset dictionary, giving the system flexibility for future swaps or stylistic changes. To shape the building, I used two PCG splines and adjusted their dimensions to match the footprint of Oscar’s Mansion from my Baldur’s Gate 3 reference material.

I was particularly relieved to see my roof corner piece concept working as intended. These specialized pieces cover the overlapping geometry caused by spline tiling at corners. While functional, I still believe there’s room for improvement, and I plan to revisit the design later with a more elegant solution.

Another success—though one that still needs refinement—was the use of trigger boxes to inject the large window assets into the building. The system correctly removes and replaces the intersecting spline point; however, the wall piece directly above the window still renders, causing a slight overlap. The fix will involve giving the large window its own top wall piece and adding a short logic step in the blueprint to delete both the intersected spline point and the one above it.

Even with these small imperfections, the fact that I can now generate the entire building instantly with the PCG system—without manual construction—is a massive leap forward. The difference in workflow efficiency is night and day.

The plan now is to present this milestone in the next class and get feedback from Eden Anthony, our instructor, to decide how to polish the system for final delivery. In parallel, I’ll be diving once again into the depths of PCG programming, specifically to study how corner calculations work. There’s only a small chance I might crack the persistent corner issue, but it’s a chance worth taking.

For the first time in months, the finish line is no longer an abstract idea—it’s a visible structure standing right in front of me.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog32:  Stimona Milanova

When working on Timeless Epoch, I’ve often looked to the giants of the industry for inspiration—not just in terms of architecture or environmental layout, but also in how they approach mood, texture, and worldbuilding. One such artist whose work has left a profound impact on me is Stimona Milanova, whose incredible contributions to Baldur’s Gate 3 stand as a testament to what environmental art can truly achieve when skill, imagination, and technical mastery come together.

Two of her works in particular have been huge sources of inspiration: the Lower City and the Mind Flayer Colony. The Lower City captures the dense, lived-in chaos of an urban environment, where every building, street corner, and architectural detail tells a story. It’s an intricate, highly atmospheric example of grounded fantasy—realistic enough to feel tangible, yet brimming with the kind of magical intrigue that keeps you exploring. For me, this set a benchmark for what I want my environments to achieve: not just accurate forms, but places that feel alive, layered, and narratively rich.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Mind Flayer Colony is a deep dive into the alien, grotesque, and surreal. It’s a masterclass in texture work, particularly in rendering organic, fleshy surfaces that are both repulsive and fascinating. The sheer complexity and believability of the materials here—the way light interacts with the slick membranes, the subtle color shifts in the folds of tissue—have been incredibly eye-opening for me. It reminded me that texture work goes far beyond stone, wood, and metal; it’s also about pushing into the uncomfortable, the unfamiliar, and making it feel real.

For Timeless Epoch, while my current focus has been on medieval architecture and stonework, seeing Stimona’s work has planted seeds for the future. Her handling of organic surfaces has inspired me to expand my skillset into areas I have yet to explore—particularly materials like flesh, soft membranes, and other biological textures. Even though these don’t directly fit into the Oscar’s Mansion modular kit, the techniques behind them could absolutely find their way into future projects, whether for fantastical creatures, environmental storytelling, or hybrid organic-mechanical designs.

In many ways, Timeless Epoch is about building the technical pipeline and artistic discipline I’ll need to create whatever worlds I imagine next. Stimona’s ability to shift effortlessly between grounded realism and surreal, otherworldly environments has shown me that mastering a broad range of material types is essential. If I can bring even a fraction of that versatility into my own work, then I’ll know I’m on the right track.

Her work is a reminder that inspiration is not limited to the current project—it’s an investment in the artistic vocabulary you’ll carry into every project that follows.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog31:  Exporting to Unreal 5

Today’s blog is going to be on the shorter side in terms of raw visual progress, but in reality, the last few days have been anything but uneventful. The process of exporting and integrating assets from other software into Unreal Engine 5 has proven to be one of the most deceptively challenging stages of the project. While modelling and texturing require patience, precision, and creativity, getting everything to actually work together seamlessly inside UE5 is a whole different challenge.

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve faced—and something that has haunted many artists before me—is the often finicky relationship between Blender and Unreal Engine. The two are powerful tools in their own right, but when it comes to asset transfer, they can feel like they’re speaking slightly different dialects of the same language. What you see in Blender is not always what you get in Unreal. Subtle differences in shading, smoothing groups, and material appearance can quickly snowball into frustrating inconsistencies. This meant a lot of iterative tweaking—exporting, importing, checking, adjusting, and repeating until the results matched my vision.

For Timeless Epoch, I also implemented a dedicated Master Material setup inside Unreal Engine. This was something I knew would pay off in the long run, especially with the sheer number of assets in my medieval modular kit. The master material holds all the critical texture maps—base color, roughness, normal, and height—as well as key parameters for variation. By exposing these as adjustable settings in the UE5 UI, I could create material instances on the fly. This gave me an incredible amount of flexibility to fine-tune the look of each asset without having to constantly reimport or rebuild materials from scratch.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The biggest roadblock I encountered was with the Height Maps. Initially, I had hoped to push the visual fidelity by using Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) to create depth and detail without increasing geometry. Unfortunately, no matter how much I experimented, I couldn’t get it to behave as intended. Whether it was due to my mesh topology, the specific UV setups, or something in the Unreal pipeline itself, the results simply didn’t look convincing. After multiple attempts—including building new material functions and following several advanced tutorials—I decided to put this particular feature aside for now.

In the end, the majority of this phase was spent ensuring every asset was fully set up, named correctly, optimized for performance, and ready to be used in the PCG system without issue. While it may not be the flashiest part of the process, this stage is absolutely crucial. Without a solid, clean, and consistent asset library in Unreal, even the most beautiful models and textures would be held back.

This was less about creating new work and more about making sure everything I’ve already built can now stand together in one unified, functional environment—ready for the procedural magic to begin.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog30:  Importance of Breakdown: Filipp Sparak

As I draw closer to the final stages of this massive project, one concept has become clearer than ever: creating art is only half the battle—showcasing it effectively is the other half. This realization didn’t strike me overnight. It came slowly, after weeks of talking to professionals, analyzing industry portfolios, and studying some of the best examples of breakdowns and case studies shared by top-tier environment artists across the world.

But among all those inspirations, one name stands above the rest: Filipp Sparak.

I first came across Filipp’s work on ArtStation while casually browsing for modular environment breakdowns. What I stumbled upon was far more than just a few render shots or a couple of before-and-after sliders. I found a monumental piece of work titled “The Projects”—a full-blown environment project spanning 2.5 years of dedication, iteration, learning, and storytelling, wrapped in an ArtStation post that is nothing short of a masterclass in project presentation:

It’s hard to summarize in a few lines what The Projects actually is because it isn’t just a single environment. It’s a journey, chronicled with incredible care and attention to detail. Sparak not only showcases the final visual outcomes—he lays bare the entire process: from early blockouts to sculpting passes, from modular design breakdowns to shader workflows, and even thoughts on lighting, composition, and storytelling. There is a confidence in his transparency, a generosity in his willingness to show what worked and what didn’t. That kind of vulnerability and professionalism is deeply inspiring.

More importantly, The Projects highlighted something I had long overlooked in my own journey: the power of the breakdown.

Until recently, I often treated breakdowns as an afterthought. I would take screenshots of models, maybe a UV unwrap here and there, and write a short paragraph summarizing what I had done. But I never stopped to think about the importance of inviting people into my process, allowing them to understand how I built something, why I made specific choices, and what my personal contribution was—especially in areas where I was recreating an existing design, like Oscar’s Mansion from Baldur’s Gate 3.

After speaking to professionals at events like GameBridge and Develop Brighton, I began to hear a recurring piece of advice:

“It’s not enough to show us that you can make art—we need to understand how you think.”

That clicked with me.

This is where Sparak’s work offered not just inspiration, but a benchmark. He doesn’t just show the results—he opens the door to his entire development logic. His modular asset planning diagrams, texture atlases, and asset reuse strategies were so clearly explained that I found myself taking notes as if I was in a class. There’s a depth to his breakdown that made me feel as if I had walked through his creative process step by step. And in doing so, I came to appreciate his artistry on an entirely new level.

It has made me rethink how I present Timeless Epoch.

I now realize that the breakdown is more than just a checklist item in my documentation. It is an opportunity to show my thought process, my technical decisions, my problem-solving, and most of all, my growth. Whether it’s the way I approached procedural generation logic, solved spline-based corner overlaps, balanced texture density for modularity, or decided when to abandon trim sheets—it all matters. Because it tells people not just what I did, but how I did it, and why I made the choices I made.

In fact, Sparak’s The Projects gave me a roadmap for how I want to present my own work once this is complete. I don’t want someone to just scroll past renders of Timeless Epoch and think, “That looks nice.” I want them to stop and say, “Wait—how did he do that? What system is behind that result? What thought went into those designs?” I want my portfolio to become a reflection of not just my skills, but my philosophy as an artist.

And as I prepare the documentation, write these final blogs, and start setting up my portfolio layout, I’m going to keep Sparak’s project open in one of my browser tabs. Not to copy, but to remind myself what it looks like when someone takes their work seriously enough to share it with full honesty and clarity. It’s that level of respect for the craft—and for the audience—that I hope to embody.

So, Filipp Sparak, if you ever read this, thank you.

Your work didn’t just inspire me—it taught me what it means to break down your art for others and, in doing so, elevate the entire conversation around it.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog29:  Innovation vs Recreation

Over the course of this final project, one of the questions that has continued to tug at my mind—and at times even stall my decision-making—has been this: how much of this project is meant to be a faithful recreation, and how much should it lean into innovation? This question didn’t arise suddenly; it has been a lingering dilemma since the inception of the project, quietly sitting in the background like a shadow behind every modeling decision, every material pass, and every reference board I built.

My choice to recreate Oscar’s Mansion from Baldur’s Gate 3 using a procedural system wasn’t a random one. I have been inspired by the incredible artistry of Larian Studios for years now, and their level of world-building, storytelling, and environmental craft has remained a benchmark in my mind. Oscar’s Mansion, in particular, stood out as a structurally complex yet beautifully cohesive piece of architecture—one that struck a balance between stylized grandeur and functional storytelling.

But here’s the conundrum: how closely should I follow that original design?

This issue is not new to me. I recall facing a similar creative wall when I worked on the Frostpunk Generator recreation during a prior term. That project was a study in adaptation. While I remained largely faithful to the form and mechanical essence of the original, I made deliberate material changes—new interpretations, reimagined weathering, and stylized damage—that made it my own. At the time, I justified it as a mark of personal growth. But now, with Oscar’s Mansion, the stakes feel much higher.

There’s a fine line between respectful homage and creative plagiarism, and it’s not always clearly marked. As I delved deeper into the project, I often found myself asking whether recreating someone else's iconic work—especially something from a AAA studio—was an acceptable path for a final year deliverable. Would peers, mentors, or even the original creators see it as a respectful tribute, or as a lack of originality? Would it come off as a technical exercise or as genuine artistic exploration?

This fear isn’t born out of insecurity in my ability to execute. I’m confident in my growth, the quality of my assets, and my understanding of modular design, systems thinking, and procedural workflows. No—this fear is rooted in reverence. I hold studios like Larian in such high regard that the very idea of “touching” their work comes with a sense of responsibility.

This brings me to a quote I recently stumbled upon by Hayao Miyazaki, who commented on the soullessness of AI-generated work. He criticized how machines “recreate” without emotion, without purpose, producing hollow copies—husks that may resemble the original, but without essence. And this gave me pause. Am I unintentionally heading down that same path? Is my procedural recreation of Oscar’s Mansion just a series of husks, devoid of soul?

But here’s where I arrived, after many quiet hours of reflection:

We cannot innovate until we learn to recreate.

Before we can break the rules, we have to understand them. Before we can develop a signature style, we must absorb the language of the masters. To attempt a recreation is not an insult; it is a form of study, tribute, and growth. Through mimicry, we understand proportion. Through referencing, we learn style. And in trying to recreate what already exists, we begin to find the seeds of our own voice.

This sentiment seems to be echoed across my cohort as well. Many of us, especially those new to this field, fear “copying” or "deriving" too heavily from existing works. We hesitate, unsure whether we are stepping into forbidden waters. But I believe this fear is something we must acknowledge and then overcome. Art is iterative. It thrives on reference, reinterpretation, and recontextualization. There is no shame in standing on the shoulders of giants—as long as we reach for something of our own while up there.

With this in mind, Timeless Epoch is still very much a love letter to Oscar’s Mansion, but it is no longer a one-to-one copy. Yes, the structure will bear similarities. Yes, many of the materials and forms will echo what Larian has done. But it will also be deeply personal. I’ve added symbols, forms, and motifs that reflect my own influences—such as the V-Rising inspired railing design, the stylized pillars based on my own sculpts, and procedural rules that give each structure an emergent, organic feel.

The PCG system itself is an innovation layered on top of a recreation. Larian's artists likely built Oscar’s Mansion by hand. In contrast, my goal is to create a system that can procedurally generate such detailed structures—efficiently, modularly, and with a touch of randomness. That is my contribution. That is my fingerprint.

So no, this is not a husk.

This is an exploration.

This is my way of paying homage while also forging my own path forward.

And I now realize—that's exactly what this final project was always meant to be.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog28:  Remaining Assets and Issues

As I inch closer to the final stretch of asset creation for Timeless Epoch, this phase has proven to be one of the most mentally taxing yet rewarding periods of the project. With the PCG system having reached a robust and functional state, my current focus has shifted entirely toward preparing the full asset library that the system will rely on. This includes everything from base wall modules and decorative props, all the way to more technically intricate assets like the hero window and corner roof structures.

It’s a strange feeling—on one hand, the end is near, yet on the other, the work ahead still feels daunting. But I’ve come to enjoy this space: that uncomfortable zone where artistry and problem-solving meet.

Finalizing the Asset List

Over the last several days, I’ve committed to wrapping up all the remaining 3D models for the modular asset kit. At this point, I now have:

A complete railing set with custom stone and metallic elements.

Three major wall variants—a base wall, a windowed wall, and one adorned with a hanging banner.

The hero window asset, which has been modeled, UV-unwrapped, textured, and tested for integration.

Standalone props like individual windows, arches, and banners.

Most recently, I’ve completed the corner pillars and pillar variations that will flank different wall segments.

Each asset plays a specific role in the PCG system. But more importantly, they also reflect a degree of personal authorship—from the details in the materials to the silhouette choices I’ve made. My aim from day one was to find a marriage between technical functionality and artistic fidelity, and I believe that balance is starting to emerge more clearly.

Sculpted Pillars and Workflow Consistency

Returning to my earlier sculpted rock pieces felt like picking up a thread that I had temporarily dropped. I originally sculpted them in Blender using default brushes (a challenge in itself), but they had remained in limbo for months. The goal was always to repurpose those sculpts for architectural elements—specifically corner pillars that provide visual grounding and realism to the modular structures.

The sculpted rocks were baked down onto low-poly geometry, a process that demanded a lot of patience but proved fruitful. The baked normal maps retained most of the depth and variation I had worked into the high-poly versions. It was a satisfying moment, finally seeing that early sculpting work come full circle into game-ready assets.

In parallel, I modeled the pillar variations for both the lower and upper floor walls. This distinction is subtle but necessary, considering the difference in height and formality between the two structural levels. The lower floors tend to be more grounded and detailed, while the upper floors are slightly more refined in silhouette. Maintaining this visual hierarchy has been a core design principle throughout.

Revisiting the Mansard Roof Problem

One of the more complex and long-standing issues I've battled is the Mansard roof corner implementation. Initially, I faced overlapping geometry at the spline junctions. The problem was rooted in how the PCG system calculates and spawns spline-based meshes, especially at corners where two roof edges meet. Since I was using tiled Mansard roof sections, the traditional method of simply scaling and stretching a single concrete bar (as done in the Procedural Minds tutorial) wouldn't work. The tiles had to align perfectly—no stretching, no intersecting.

To address this, I created a dedicated corner Mansard roof asset. This piece was specifically designed to cap the overlapping junctions between two straight Mansard roof sections. The process required multiple iterations—not just in terms of modeling, but also in understanding how Unreal’s lightmass system and normal maps responded to this geometry. After some fine-tuning and adjusting the smoothing groups, the issue was finally resolved.

UVs, Texture Fidelity, and Optimization

A huge portion of my recent work has revolved around UV mapping and optimization. Each asset went through a careful UV pass to ensure that the textures wouldn’t stretch, and that tiling materials would retain their detail across curved and angular surfaces. Since I use both Substance Designer and Substance Painter, I had to constantly test my UVs in each tool to make sure the projection methods (UV-based vs triplanar) behaved correctly.

And then came an unexpected bottleneck—polycount bloat.

While running performance checks in Blender, I discovered that some of my wall pieces were clocking in at over 100,000 faces. That was alarming, especially because I had been conscious of keeping geometry light throughout the project. A deep dive revealed the culprit: a rope-like ornamental detail used in several of my window frames. The “rope” was modeled using a tri-circular mesh, twisted and stretched to form a realistic cord.

Visually, it looked amazing—but it was entirely impractical.

The solution was to bake the detailed rope geometry into a high-quality normal map, which I then projected onto a 64-sided cylindrical mesh. The visual impact was nearly identical, but the new model brought the face count down to just a fraction of the original. This was a major win in terms of performance optimization, and one I plan on applying to other detailed assets as needed.

Preparing for Unreal Engine Export

With all of these assets now finalized and optimized, the next step is to export everything to Unreal Engine 5. That will mark a pivotal moment in this project, as I’ll be able to test the entire asset pipeline within the PCG system. Having already seen promising results with earlier wall and roof tests, I’m cautiously optimistic that the newer assets will integrate smoothly.

Still, I’m fully aware that some pieces may not work as expected. The PCG system is complex and sensitive—small changes to an asset’s origin point, scale, or collision setup can have massive ripple effects. But I’m prepared. After months of failure and refinement, this phase doesn’t intimidate me anymore—it excites me.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog27:  Asset Dev Workflow for PCG

One of the most common questions I’ve been asked—both in class and in online discussions—is about the workflow behind developing modular assets for a Procedural Content Generation (PCG) system. It’s a question that carries far more depth than it initially appears, especially because designing for PCG differs quite significantly from traditional modular asset development.

At its core, creating assets for a PCG system means understanding how your models will interact with a mathematically generated structure. Unlike traditional workflows where you place assets manually in an environment, a PCG system uses splines, data points, and predefined logic to construct entire structures. The user defines certain variables, such as “size”, which determine how many points are generated along a spline. Based on this density and spacing, assets are automatically placed along the spline path. That’s why precision and predictability are critical—what you model will directly affect how well your PCG system can function.

To accommodate this, I’ve had to develop a parallel way of thinking: designing each asset not just as an isolated visual piece, but as a puzzle piece within a larger procedural algorithm. Each part must be built with an understanding of how it fits—both logically and visually—within the full structure that the PCG system will generate.

Let me share a specific example to illustrate this. One of the more complex pieces I worked on recently was a roof edge module. This asset needed to tile seamlessly with both itself and other surrounding pieces. The problem I encountered was related to how the middle section of the roof asset behaved when it reached the corners of the spline path. Because these assets were originally symmetrical, their placement at corners led to visible gaps and misalignments, which completely broke the visual cohesion of the roof.

To fix this, I made a crucial adjustment: I extruded the middle section on the X-axis, but only on one side of the mesh. The reasoning was simple but effective—by doing this, the extruded section on one side of the asset could slot perfectly into the unextruded side of the next asset, thereby closing the gap at corners. This is the sort of problem that simply wouldn’t arise in a hand-placed modular kit, but becomes a significant issue when dealing with procedural logic.

This example highlights a major aspect of my process: I have to consistently challenge myself, not only in terms of quality modeling but in making sure each asset adheres to the rules and logic of the PCG system. Every beveled edge, every extrusion, and every point of origin must be deliberate.

That said, I’m fully aware of the inherent risks of working within such a system. There are always chances that some pieces may not work as intended, especially when new design iterations are introduced. Flexibility and a willingness to revise—sometimes multiple times—are essential.

At this stage in development, I’m focusing on refining this workflow and ensuring that my asset kit and PCG logic evolve together. As I move forward, I hope to document more of these interdependencies and continue building a system that feels both robust and artistically grounded.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog26:  Alternative Wall Pieces

As I finally settle down in my new apartment and resume work on Timeless Epoch, I’ve taken the opportunity to step back and focus on finalizing some of the most essential architectural elements of my modular kit—the foundational wall pieces. These structures form the backbone of any building, especially in a PCG-based system like mine, where assets must not only look good but also maintain modular consistency and seamless integration within the generation logic.

With this in mind, I decided to develop three distinct wall variations, each measuring 3x3 meters. Among these, one is a base wall piece—a relatively clean and neutral structure intended to repeat across the environment without drawing too much attention. The other two are detailed wall pieces, designed to provide variety, storytelling, and visual rhythm to the structure. One of the detailed variants features a central banner, while the other includes a small window—both influenced heavily by the architecture in Oscar’s Mansion from Baldur’s Gate 3, though I’ve added a few of my own stylistic touches to keep the work personal and fresh.

The modeling process was carried out in Blender, where I took special care to ensure modular accuracy, edge flow, and proper proportions. A particularly fun and slightly complex part of this process was creating the hanging banner. For this, I relied on Blender’s cloth simulation system, allowing the banner to behave naturally in terms of folds and gravity. Once I was happy with the overall look, I applied the simulation and baked the geometry before moving everything into Substance Painter for the texturing phase.

Since the brick and limestone materials were already finalized in earlier stages of the project, my main focus this time was detailing. I spent several hours hand-painting cracks, scratches, and subtle weathering across the wall surfaces to give them that aged, lived-in feeling. For the banner, I created a new cloth material within Substance Painter and overlaid a symbolic design that I composited using an image layer within Blender. This symbol ties into the broader aesthetic of the project and may serve as a recurring motif throughout the environment.

That said, I do want to take things further in the future. While using image overlays was a practical solution for now, I eventually plan on advancing my Substance Designer skills so that I can generate such motifs procedurally. This would offer far more flexibility in terms of scale, repetition, and customization—key qualities for any PCG-integrated pipeline.

As I wrap up this phase, my next objective will be to finalize the remaining modular assets and begin the process of importing them into Unreal Engine 5. From there, I will start the delicate work of making sure the PCG system reads and uses these new assets correctly. This step is crucial, as it will define how well my procedural system can blend visual fidelity with generation flexibility.

After a long break, it feels energizing to be back in full production mode. There's still much to do, but with every new asset, I feel the foundation of Timeless Epoch becoming more tangible and cohesive.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog25:  Role of PCG in the Industry

Develop:Brighton 2025 was by far one of the largest and most exciting industry events I’ve ever had the chance to attend. Although the student pass limited my access to some areas and talks, the sheer scope of the conference, the quality of the attendees, and the conversations I had were more than enough to make this a truly memorable and transformative experience. I left the event with a head full of new insights and a deeper appreciation for the direction the industry is heading—especially in the realm of Procedural Content Generation (PCG).

One of the biggest takeaways from Develop was the unparalleled importance of networking. I’ve always considered myself fairly comfortable in social settings, but I never truly understood just how vital it is to connect with the right people until this event. During my time there, I spoke to developers, artists, and technical experts from studios like Rebellion, THQ Nordic, Microsoft, and—what meant the most to me personally—Larian Studios.

Even though I only had a few minutes with most of them, those short discussions were packed with valuable feedback and encouragement. I shared a brief overview of Timeless Epoch and my work on the spline-based PCG system, and I was thrilled to receive not just praise but actual intrigue and excitement about the idea.

One of the most impactful conversations I had was with a gentleman named Jon from THQ (unfortunately, I didn’t catch his last name). We discussed the future role of PCG systems in environment art and how studios are beginning to shift toward more optimized pipelines—focusing on efficiency without compromising quality. He specifically mentioned that, in the next few years, PCG systems could very well become standard practice, especially for set dressing and large-scale architectural layout. When I explained how my system allowed for modular building generation with randomized structures and material variation, he was genuinely impressed. The idea of being able to match—or come close to—handcrafted quality while significantly reducing production time was something he found particularly exciting.

What struck me most during these conversations was the industry’s emphasis on workflows, pipelines, and problem-solving. It’s not just about being a good artist anymore—it's about how you manage your time, how efficiently you build, and how adaptable your tools are. The fact that my PCG system not only works but is being built with scalability and usability in mind makes me feel confident that I’m heading in the right direction.

Unfortunately, I had to cut my visit short due to a severe migraine, which was frustrating. But even in that limited time, I gained a massive amount of insight. One piece of advice that stuck with me was this: “If you can solve a problem others haven’t noticed yet, you’re already ahead.” That is exactly what I believe Timeless Epoch aims to do. The pipeline I’m developing—blending procedural logic with modular asset design—might not be mainstream yet, but it’s certainly part of where the future is headed.

This event didn’t just validate the direction I’ve taken with this project; it supercharged my motivation to continue refining my work and to fully commit to the development of tools and systems that make game worlds faster to build and more immersive to explore.

[acceptedguy]

Timeless Epoch – Blog24:  Settling in and finding my stride

It’s amazing how a change in physical space can trigger a shift in mindset. As someone who has spent the past few months in a single room, wholly immersed in development, reflection, and art, relocating to a new environment has brought with it an unexpected but welcome surge of clarity and creative energy.

After days of unpacking towering boxes, setting up furniture, and restoring my workspace to a functional condition, I’m happy to share that I’ve finally settled into my new apartment. This blog marks a symbolic and literal continuation of my Timeless Epoch journey. The PC is up and running, and—thankfully—all of my files have survived the move intact. Given my previous catastrophic experience with data loss, the relief I felt seeing my project files safely load into Unreal Engine was indescribable.

I took this move as an opportunity to reflect and mentally reset. And during those quiet, unpacking-filled hours, I found myself brainstorming new project ideas—not just for Timeless Epoch, but for future works as well. It reminded me once again that creativity doesn’t always happen in front of a screen. Sometimes, it’s in those mundane, transitional moments that inspiration strikes. I’ve jotted down several ideas that I hope to explore post-submission.

Another reason this relocation came at just the right time is because it aligns perfectly with another exciting milestone: I will be attending the Develop:Brighton 2025 event in a few days. After the incredible experience at the  event last month, I am thrilled to once again step into a space filled with industry professionals, aspiring developers, and fellow enthusiasts. These events offer so much—learning, networking, inspiration—and I hope to not only showcase my work and engage in conversations but also gain further insight into where the industry is heading and how I can continue evolving as an Environment Artist.

On the production side of things, now that I’ve settled in, I’ve been reviewing my assets and materials. I took some time to fine-tune the work I had previously completed, giving several pieces a second pass with a fresh pair of eyes. Small tweaks in UVs, adjustments in material tiling, and better integration between assets have already begun to elevate the quality. I didn’t want to jump into new development tasks without first ensuring that the existing assets were in their best shape. This attention to polish will also help when I begin reintegrating everything into the PCG system.

So, with the environment set up, my files intact, and my creative energy reignited, I’m looking forward to resuming development. It’s been a chaotic couple of weeks, but with the dust finally settling, I feel more prepared than ever to continue pushing this project forward. More updates soon.